Day 5: Castle Peaks hike, New York Mountains, Mojave National Preserve
Perfect weather. First, I'll hike over to Indian Spring, hoping to find water so I can spend an extra day here. Then I'll hike around a few of the Castle Peaks pinnacles. I'll see no people today. 10.1 hiking miles and about 2300 feet of elevation gain.
|
Date: May 19, 2011, 10h46
Size: 77 items
|
|
Morning at Castle Peaks Road means I get to try out the deluxe facilities while listening to the quail; it works well!
I woke up several times overnight to hide my head further in my sleeping bag against the cold air, but otherwise slept so soundly that I wake up feeling like I have a hangover. I finally wake up around 9h, suddenly hot from the morning sun on my tent.
Date: May 19, 2011, 10h46
|
I notice bird activity near my tent and locate a nearly invisible bird's nest in an elbow of this joshua tree at centre-right
Breakfast is the usual granola, dried apricots and pineapple, vitamin C drink, plus two cold coffees. Enjoying the Starbucks' Tribute Blend and feeling somewhat refreshed this morning. It's now day 5 of this trip, and my strength is starting to build up.
Date: May 19, 2011, 10h55
|
I start today's hike by climbing up a hill and looking down at my tent in the little valley at the end of Castle Peaks Road
Nice view of the New York Mountains high peaks poking up above the hills. I'll hike over in that area next week.
Date: May 19, 2011, 11h15
|
|
Someone has a nest here sheltered against a boulder on top of the hill above my tent
Packrats? Crap, I forgot to bring my lip balm with me today. This is one mistake I usually make only once on each of Mojave trips.
Date: May 19, 2011, 11h15
|
I pass a few brilliant Indian paintbrush plants as I further climb the hills above my tent
Joshua trees are scattered, but not dense here.
Date: May 19, 2011, 11h24
|
I'm now at one of the high points of this ridge in the Castle Peaks area, at about 5225 feet elevation
Great views in all directions and some interesting cement-like rock formations. I'm about 250 feet above my tent here.
Date: May 19, 2011, 11h30
|
|
Good views over to the New York Mountains peaks from this Castle Peaks ridge
The two joshua trees here lend some scale to the size of the rock outcrops and the vastness of the area. I linger here for a few minutes to enjoy it.
Date: May 19, 2011, 11h32
|
From this ridge, the only way is down, so I continue eastward down into the canyon below
I'll drop about 200 feet in elevation here. It's a bit steep in places, but open enough that cross-country hiking and obstacle avoidance is easy.
Date: May 19, 2011, 11h43
|
To my surprise, I find a small stream in this unnamed Castle Peaks canyon
No spring is marked on my maps at this location, so I wasn't expecting to find any water between my tent and Indian Spring, my destination, on the other side of Castle Peaks. The water is clean and some bees are enjoying the stream's periphery.
Date: May 19, 2011, 11h52
|
|
I climb up the next hill and down into a juniper-studded valley
I'm enjoying my random up-and-down cross-country route, but it's certainly not the most efficient route.
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h08
|
I encounter a nice patch of Mojave asters on the way down into the valley below Castle Peaks
I'm a little late this year: many of the Mojave asters I've been seeing are near the end of their flowering season, unlike this one.
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h10
|
In this little valley below Castle Peaks, I reach an old closed road, a perfect trail after a bit of cross-country hiking
I check my maps and, yes, this is the same closed road that I saw while riding the Barnwell-Searchlight railway grade yesterday. It's the only one in this area.
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h12
|
|
The cool rocks formations in the Castle Peaks area are endless; this one harbours a small natural arch
... so I have to make a short detour to check it out.
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h17
|
I crouch and walk through this little rock arch in the Castle Peaks area
How long did it take for this hole in the rock to erode?
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h19
|
On the other side of this Castle Peaks arch is a rock formation that looks like a tortoise, with its head extended
This rock tortoise (or is it a lizard?) even has an eye!
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h20
|
|
I climb over the next hill (a 75-foot rise), upon which I find a boulder with a tuft of cactus on its head
Now I'll drop down into a wash below where those joshua trees ahead look so distant.
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h38
|
I find a few Gooding's verbenas blooming in the wash
Sometimes these are quite abundant in the Mojave Desert highlands, but I haven't seen many yet on this trip; I'm probably a bit late in the season.
Date: May 19, 2011, 12h52
|
Now that I'm in a smooth-bottomed wash in the Castle Peaks area, my hiking speed is picking up a little
I've been hiking randomly up and down hills to explore the area, with no real route other than hiking in the general direction of Indian Spring, where I'll hopefully get some more water.
Date: May 19, 2011, 13h11
|
|
